From January 7-10, 2026, young adult ministry coordinators from the six Jesuit Conferences, collaborators from Ignatian congregations, members of the MAGIS Digital Home team from Chennai, India, and representatives of key global Jesuit networks gathered in Rome for the MAGIS Think-In.

This four-day prayerful encounter invited us to listen deeply to the realities of young adults today, discern God’s movement among them, and imagine how the MAGIS movement might respond in the coming years.

Walking into the meeting rooms at the Jesuit General Curia each day, we carried the voices of young people from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas—voices expressing a longing for purpose, a sense of belonging, deep questions about vocation, and a desire for faith that engages real life. Through shared prayer, Eucharist, silence, and conversations, it became clear that young adults are not primarily seeking programmes or ready-made answers, but companionship, spaces of encounter with God, and patient accompaniment in discernment.

We heard of the challenges they face: uncertainty around work and livelihood, shifting cultural values, and tensions between tradition and freedom. Yet we also encountered signs of hope—communities forming around prayer and service, digital spaces fostering reflection, and young people willing to take responsibility for leadership and mission in the Church.

A central conviction of the Think-In was that MAGIS must be more than occasional gatherings or large events. It must be a sustained way of walking with young adults in their daily lives, especially in parishes, chaplaincies, universities, and digital spaces. In addition, attention was given to preparations for MAGIS Korea 2027, emphasizing the need for careful formation, clear communication, and structured accompaniment so that the event contributes to ongoing discipleship and vocation discernment.

From these reflections emerged several key directions for the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM):

Firstly, it is essential that the MAGIS structure be established in all Jesuit parishes and chaplaincies. These structures provide continuity and a clear pathway for accompaniment rooted in Ignatian spirituality, attentive to young adults’ lived realities.

Secondly, clear leadership and coordination are crucial. Each Province within JCAM is encouraged to designate a coordinator or director of youth ministry to oversee initiatives relating to young adults in the countries where we work. This ensures collaboration, accountability, continuity, and alignment with both Conference and global MAGIS priorities.

Thirdly, effective young adult ministry depends on strong partnerships. JCAM is invited to deepen collaboration with Ignatian congregations, Jesuit parishes and chaplaincies, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), Jesuit universities and secondary schools, the World Union of Jesuit Alumni (WUJA), Alpha Sigma Nu (ASN), the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, CLC/CVX, and other Church and youth-focused networks. These partnerships are essential for responding meaningfully to the diverse realities of young adults across the Conference and for supporting initiatives like MAGIS Korea 2027.

Finally, vocation promotion was reaffirmed as an integral dimension of MAGIS. MAGIS spaces—both physical and digital—remain privileged environments for vocational discernment, open to all forms of Christian vocation, while also fostering openness to religious life within the broader journey of discipleship.

As we bring the fruits of the MAGIS Think-In back to our local contexts, we are reminded that walking with young adults is not simply a project or programme. It is a way of being present to them—listening deeply, accompanying patiently, and trusting that God is already at work in their lives.